Double row bearing



Nov. 22, 1949 DOUBLE ROW BEARING Filed June 9, 1948 P. A. CARULLO ET AL p i I i n v 35 l 1:1 IIa- 5- F o 7 sA ,lo

l2. 3 I4 l5 4o n u i nventors PAUL A. CARuLLo AND EDMUND K. BROWN Patented Nov. 22, 1949 DOUBLE ROW BEARING Paul Anthony Carullo and Edmund Karl Brown, Torrington, Conn., assignors to The Torrington Company, Torrington, Conn., a corporation of Maine Application June 9, 1948, Serial No. 31,886

v4 Claims.

This invention relates to a roller bearing in which an outer member is provided at its ends with radially inturned and curled flanges. The individual rollers have reduced ends that are to be `received and held against separation, so that the assembly of outer member and rollers provides a unit.

One of the features of the invention is the provision of a unitarybearing structure having a one-piece outer member with a double row of rollers located therein, and with these rollers held against*r separation from this one-piece outer member. Y

Another feature of the invention is the provision of a roller bearing structure in which the axial length f the assembly, and the presence therein of the double row of bearing members, permit increase in the allowable load for the given axial length of the assembly, as compared with the use of two separate rollerA bearings of standard type within the same axial space.

Another feature of theinvention is the provision of a roller bearing unit in which the outer race member and its curled end flanges and lips are completely hardened to the maximum strength of the material, and can be subjected to full inspection prior to the introduction of -rollers thereto.

A further feature is the provision of a method of forming a roller bearing, by completing the forming, and the hardening treatment if used, of a race member, before assembling bearing rollers therein in making the bearing u nit.

With these and other .features as objects in view, as will vappear inthe course of the following description and claims, an illustrative form of practice is shown on the accompanying drawings, in which: Y

Fig. 1 is an external View of a bearing according to this invention;

Fig. 2 is a view, indiametrical section, showing an outer race member formed and ready to be loaded with rollers;

Fig. 3 is a corresponding view, with two rows of rollers in position;

,Fig 4 is a corresponding view, with a split ring in position, a shaft being shown in dotted `lines for clearer disclosure of the rows of rollers;

Fig. 5 is a side View of a bearing roller. Fig. 6 shows a modified form.

y This illustrative form shows a needle bearing,

that is, Va bearing having ka full peripheral comsibility of 'using Vit to prevent accidental disassembly, it is of particular value to have a structure which is capable of handling as a unit.

The outer race member of Fig. 2 may be made and formed as shown in the Brown Patent No. 2,038,475, except that both flange ends are brought to final shape before the insertion of rollers. Such an outer race member has a cylindrical'race portion I t, a first end flange II provided with an inturned lip I2; and a second flange I3 provided with an inturned lip I4. In the illustrated form, both of the end flanges have concentric apertures 30, 3l, so that the structure may be inserted upon a shaft, by intro duction at either end thereof.

A plurality` of bearing rollers I5 (Fig. 5) are employed within this structure, being arranged in the two rows A, B, as indicated in Fig. 4. Each individual roller I5 has its ends I6 reduced in size. In the illustrated form, each reduced end has a surface of revolution about the roller axis, with a section curving concavely from the cylindrical bearing surface of the roller toward the extreme end, and with the shape approaching a cylinder at such extreme end: and can be referred to as having a curvilinear taper.

It is preferred to have all rollers identical in shape and size, to facilitate assembly.

By construction, the surface of the hole 3G or 3| provided in each end flange, being the radially inward surface of the lips I2, I4, is made larger than the shaft or internal bearing member S ,upon which the device is to work as indicated by the showing of the shaft S in dotted lines in Fig. 4. The diameters of the rollers and of the inner surface of the race portion I0 of the outer mem- -ber are so related to the diameter of this internal shaft orrother member, that a rolling t of the parts isassured, and the lips I2, I4 are held away from contact with the said shaft. Correspondingly, the reduced ends I6 of the rollers can fit within the lips I2, I4, that is, within the annular channel orltrough space provided between these lips and the ends of the race portion II), without restriction upon the rolling of the individual rollers I5 between the internal shaft member and the inner surface of the race member I The individual rollers I5 are slightly longer over-all than one-half the distance between the flanges II, I 3, and with their cylindrical portions slightly less than one-half the distance between the lips I2, III; and the rollers are staggered or overlapped, as shown in Fig; 4, at the adjacent reduced ends thereof. As shown in the figures, the present A split retainer ring 20 is provided of spring material, such as the spring steel or spring brass,

having an internal diameter greater-than-.the

outer diameter of the shaftf, and ,having anex-` ternal diameter closely fitting ,the inwardly open ,Y

groove 35 with inclined walls,formed-and= existing;

between the adjacent or inner ends of the two rows of rollers I5 (Fig. 4) In, present practice,

spring wire is coiled into a helix,v with the outer diameter of the helix greater than the gdiametral. L

distance from groove surface to groove surface, so.that the insertedaring ,bears with anoutward spring action ortension against-,the reducedends of itherollers. The turns cangbe cut atan-angle; and in general itis preferred ,thatrthe gap, if any, of the inserted,ring-,shall be less; thanflthegdiarn; etersofthegcontacted partsr of the reduced roller endS.:i

The preferred', manner of manufacture of such a bearing is ipo-make. the outer member ywith its race portion'l, flanges II, I3and the lips I2; I4 as a unit, before insertingthe rollers therein. This may, for example, vbe done, as .described in the aforesaid Brown patent, by, .making a cup from -sheet metal, bythe usual drawing and .cupping operations, cutting a circle Ifrom the bottom of the cup to leave the lip I2 asshown inFig'. 2; and then Completing the flange I3 Aand the lip Ill.4 These operations-canbe-accomplished upon annealed material, and with intermediate or process annealings as necessary. `When the cup and outer member formedl therefroml Yarel completed, the piece can thenbehardened andtempered -as desired, toobtain a maximum-of-strength and of the influences opeating-upon it -duringservice.

ItA can be tumbled orotherwise treated to remove any dark oxide formed" during the tempering and hardening operations.l It -will be -noted thatthis completed outer member is clearrforinspection even after the nal hardening and polishing: and hence defectsapparent onlyat inner-surfaces of the flanges, for example, can be found and such pieces rejected.

The rollers I5 canbe made'bycutting, grinding or otherwise machining, hardening, and finish grinding or polishing.

The assembly vof the unit bearing can be acccmplished by placing it with the flange II, for example. upon a table andthen inserting a rst row of rollers, .the row A in this illustrative example, with their lower reducedV ends I6- engaged within thel annular trough-provided by the -lip I2'. The second row of rollers B canI then bein#- troduced, lwithn the reduced inner' orf middle ends of' the two rows of` rollers alternatingv or inter.- locking with one another; as shown in-fFi'gswB and 4, to provide the groove 35E Itis-customary to'introduce'la lubricant during the assembly, and this lubricant serves also the-purpose-of' holding the rollers against falling out of their Yparticular position, during .this intermediatemstage, even without the .employment of 'ancentral` plugv or other locating. device; :A

The split retainery ring 2lliscollapsed in diam,-

eterV sufficiently Vto pass witlrinthe innere-,parts of the surfaces of the rollers I5, and is pushed axially until it snaps into the groove 35 provided at the middle of the bearing assembly, where the adjacent ends of the two rows of rollers overlap. Alternatively, the ring 20 can be inserted before the second row B of rollers are introduced, and employed to,ho1d the first ,row vA inJposition: when thesecondrow B Iis place, then ring 20 is slid axially until it slips into the groove 35. The assembly is now completed, and the unit can 'be employed without danger of the rollers falling out during-any normal handling of the device or duringits, service. .Y

Fig. 6 corresponds to Fig. 4, but shows a. blind end structure, having the outer member formed from a cup as-before, but with its lower end left uncut and hence having a. closing wall 32, merging with the lip I2, which prevents entry of dust at this point. The shaft SA can, for example, be supported against endwise movement by a separate thrust-plate 40, `carried by .the frame F into which the bearingv unit has been pressed andreceivinga collar C on the shaft,T

Inpractical use, it has beeniound that there isA about assi/ entr percent; increase Ain .the load:

vcarrying.caiacityr for@ given total. length, $0 the advantage of the present double-rowpearing-over employment;V of two separate;` vneedle bearings fitted withinthe; s arne axial;V distance. y

The employment of completelyVA hardened I and carefullyinspected lips, withV the present device, assures ample strength to preventany destructive axial pushing out of the lips when highhend thrust is 'developed bythe rollers.

Further, sin, practice, the instant double row bearing-.better Vprovides for shaftmisalignment over the previous employment ofv two separate bearing shells.. Thus, thepresent structure` as a single unit with corresponding ease of insertion, `has-advantageoverprior practices of employing two-regular, single-row needle bearings with allowance-or tolerance-Ato take carevof possible, misalignment of the shaft with respect to the hole for receivingthe-unit shells. a The instant arrangement,--withtwo separate rows of rollers,- resultsgin-a longer life, andrwith avoidance of complete bearingfailures vfor a longer time; because if a failure occurs over the full axiallength of one of the paths for roller row A 013B; the disintegration or spalling of the internal structure of the shell does not extend axially'past the unloaded center section of the shell, and henceone of the rows of bearings will still be exerting antifriction effects. l Itispbviousthat the invention is not limited solely to. the AVform and. construction Yill11Silreed- What is claimed is:

1..A.rQ11.er. bearing unit comprising an outer race member having radiallyinturned flanges atits ends, andl having axially inturned lipson said,aneesto.,provideperiphereltroughs@ 911.1.- rality of rows of rollers with'-leachnroller. having reduced ends., Seidre d.11.l"=f.14 @ms et. the. ends 0f the bearing unit being engag` d in salidtro'ughs, `the vsaidreduced. ends. Qfnerow. and Spa9ef1.f.rm the .endsoi thebearios imitbeine.mcrerleppmg relation end stagsered relative .130.. the `adikicerit reducedendsof the rollersl ofl the next row, said overlapping reducedemis ,provdlnsan inwardly nopen peripheral groove, and a splitringpf spring mater-ialengaged; in said. grooveandv effective to prevent. accidental,disassemblyoi the url'.-4

2. Afrouer y bearioaunit; comprlsngn. Outer race memberhavins @pruned-moese. and, ,lies to provide peripheral troughs at its ends, two

rows of rollers with each roller having tapered reduced ends, said reduced ends at the ends of the bearing unit being engaged in said troughs, the other said reduced ends of the rows of rollers being in overlapping and staggered relation to one another and thereby forming an inwardly open groove with inclined walls, and a split ring of spring material located within said groove and bearing against said inclined Walls and exerting outward and axial pressure thereagainst.

3. A needle bearing unit comprising an outer race member having a cylindrical inner surface, axially inturned anges at its ends, and axially inturned lips on said flanges, whereby to provide peripheral troughs; two rows of rollers with cylindrical bodies engaged with the said cylindrical inner surface, and having curvilinearly tapered reduced ends, the inner ends of the rollers of each row being in overlapping 4and staggered relation to those of the other row, whereby to provide an inwardly open groove, the outer ends of the rollers of each row being engaged in one of said troughs; and a split ring of spring material located in said groove and effective to prevent disassembling endwise movement of said rollers.

4. A needle bearing as in claim 3, in which the lip lat one end merges into a Wall closing said end.

PAUL ANTHONY CARULLO'. EDMUND KARL BROWN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,038,475 Brown Apr. 21, 1936 2,065,311 Hoke Dec. 22, 1936 

